Depression and Verbal Behavior in Conversations with Friends and Strangers

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Abstract
This study sought to determine whether people with depression exhibited social skills deficits in the domain of verbal behavior. Thirty-five students with depression and 39 nondepressed students engaged in a 7-minute conversation with either a friend or a stranger. Results indicated no depressed-nondepressed differences in speech productivity or negativity. However, a number of significant interactions indicated that people with depression who talked with a friend exhibited more negative language and used more language indicative of partner-focused attention than other participants.

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